Simply, It's Tiring
by LexiAlice13
Summary: Sebastian is excited by the influx of girls at school, but one petite blonde intrigues him. How hard is he willing to try to break through the walls she's been building up her whole life?
1. First Day

Quinn stood at the gates of Dalton Academy and watched the hundreds of blazer-clad boys milling around. A few more girls started arriving, but still the blonde didn't move. Her friend, Kathy, skipped up next to her,

"Oh my God Quinn have you _seen_ these boys?" she squealed excitedly, Quinn only replying with a sarcastic smile, less enthusiastic than her classically girly friend. Kathy didn't seem to notice as she ran off, her blazer easily blending in with the rest. Since the recession had hit, Crawford Country Day Girl's School had been losing benefactors left, right, and center, and although Quinn was devastated, it didn't come as much of a surprise when they were closed down and merged with their 'brother school', Dalton Academy.

"Good morning" Quinn was broken from her thoughts as a boy appeared next to her. She eyed him up and down. Wow. She could see his friends nearby, watching. "Welcome to Dalton" he smirked, clearly noting the look on her face.

"Thanks" she replied, the corners of her lips upturned.

"Sebastian" he held out his hand. Hesitantly, Quinn took it.

"Quinn"

"Pretty" Sebastian nodded, causing Quinn to blush. He chuckled, "Want me to show you round?"

"I think I'll find my own way, thanks", Quinn nodded politely at Sebastian before making her way into school – knowing he was watching her.

Quinn sat in her class, amongst the chattering of other students. When she realised her teacher had not yet arrived, she quickly checked her cell phone for the first time that day.

'_How's Dalton? Any posh boys giving you trouble? xx' _Quinn couldn't stop a smile forming as she read and re-read the words.

"Oh, that's clearly a smile reserved for a special someone" Sebastian slid onto Quinn's table, glancing at her phone. She rolled her eyes, mumbling for him to shut up as she began to type her reply,

'_It's ok. Not quite yet, but I'll let you know :') xx'_

'_Make sure you do :) have a good day xx'_

'_You too :) xx' _

Sebastian watched the concentration on her face fade away as her conversation finished, and smiled. She looked adorable when she was focused. He felt something bubble inside of him. **Jealousy**, who was the guy she was texting? **Desire**, he wanted that smile to be reserved for him. He hadn't felt this way about a girl in a long time. He opened his mouth to say something, but just then the teacher entered the classroom. Quinn smirked as she shooed him off her table, and he went to take his seat, his eyes remaining on the petite blonde for most of the lesson. As the bell went and she gathered up her books, Sebastian approached her once more.

"So who is he then? Or is it a she?" he pried, anxious to know more about his 'competition'. Quinn chuckled, and the sound was so beautiful he felt something funny stir in his stomach,

"**He** is a friend from my old school"

"Crawford?"

"No, uh, before that" She fell into step next to him in the hallway,

"Oh right, just a friend?" he nudged her a little,

"Yes just a friend, now stop being so nosy!" she playfully scolded before turning into her classroom, a warm grin glowing on her face.

Sebastian winked at the various girls watching him before walking through the gates and away from the school.

"Yo, Smythe" Quinn called from behind him, biting back a smile,

"Fabray" he greeted with a smirk, "You wanna go get a coffee? The Lima Bean is a bit of a Dalton hang-out"

"As long as you're paying" she smirked. He shook his head in disbelief but smiled as they approached the coffee shop. A few moments later, Sebastian handed Quinn her drink and they settled into two seats in the corner. Sebastian had only just enquired about her first day when two girls sporting matching red uniforms approached them.

"Q!" they exclaimed, each reaching over to hug her

"Hey girls!" she replied with a giggle, Sebastian couldn't keep her eyes off her and **that smile**. "Oh, this is Sebastian, from Dalton Academy" Quinn gestured towards him and he turned once again to the cheerleaders, "This is Santana and Brittany from McKinley High"

"Pleased to meet you girls" Sebastian nodded, and was met by a dazzling smile from each girl, before their attention returned to their friend.

"We miss you Q, it's been ages since we've caught up" Brittany innocently squeezed Quinn's arm,

"And by the looks of things, we definitely need to catch up soon" Santana eyed Sebastian once more, "Sam really misses you too" she remarked. This sparked Sebastian's attention.

"Sam? Friend boy?" he cocked an eyebrow as a light blush crept onto Quinn's face

"Anyway Q, we best be going, Coach Sue's got us doing extra practices" Brittany pulled her former-head Cheerio into another hug.  
>"That is one thing I don't miss about McKinley… how are the New Directions?" Quinn tentatively asked<p>

"I'll call you tonight" Santana smiled, almost reassuringly, before the two turned to leave.  
>"It was nice meeting you" Sebastian called after them before taking a gulp of his drink. "They seem nice"<br>"They are. We had our differences but they were my best friends at McKinley"

"So you went to McKinley before Crawford?"  
>"Yep"<br>"Why'd you leave?"

"Um" Quinn bit her lip, the memories flashing through her mind causing her to wince.

"You don't have to tell me" Sebastian quickly assured her

"It's not that just… not yet"  
>"Ok" he nodded, and Quinn reached over to squeeze his hand.<br>"Thank you".

"So, Sam?" Quinn groaned but this fell into a laugh, and Sebastian decided it was best not to press the issue. Sam seems to be a figure from Quinn's past at McKinley, and obviously something she didn't want to talk about. He'd have to respect that if he wanted her as much as he thought he did.


	2. First Date

Sebastian buttoned his blazer as he left the classroom and started down the hallway, nodding and smiling at various friends on his way. He slowly approached Warbler practice, not looking forward to another hour of the panel complaining about the loss of Blaine Anderson. He entered and took a seat next to Jeff, exchanging a few pleasantries before the gavel was heard and silence fell.

"We got our letter today about Regionals, we're facing off against Aural Intenisty and the New Directions. We've faced the New Directions before but Aural Intenisty are new to us…" Sebastian tuned Wes out after hearing 'New Directions'. That was McKinley, as in Quinn's old school, so that would mean Sam… before he knew what he was doing, Sebastian's arm was in the air.

"Yes, Warbler Sebastian?"  
>"I have an idea. I think, if we want to make it to Nationals this year we need something we've never had before - girls" Sebastian glanced around to gage the reaction of the Warblers, and, to his surprise, they didn't seem to hate the idea. "The New Directions won't be expecting it, it could give us the edge at Regionals" and with that, Sebastian sat back down. David, Thad and Wes whispered for a few moments.<p>

"Ok, Warbler Sebastian, if you can bring us some girls to audition we'll consider your proposal" Sebastian nodded, already scheming in his head.

As soon as he arrived home, Sebastian dived for his laptop, quickly pulling up youtube. After a few minutes of searching, he found what he was looking for - Quinn Fabray singing at sectionals with the New Directions. He lost himself for a few moments, completely unaware of the subconscious smile forming on his face and the dreamy look on his face. She was perfect. He studied the boy she was singing with for a while, before deciding this must be Sam. He was alright. She seemed to be really into him…

Sebastian's plan of action was simple, convince the panel to let him duet with Quinn at Regionals.

**To: Quinn**

Q, wanna go out for dinner tonight? xx

**To: Sebastian**

What, like a date? xx

**To: Quinn**

If you want it to be? Or just as friends? xx

**To: Sebastian**

A date sounds good. Pick me up in an hour :) xx

Sebastian ran his hand through his hair one last time before heading downstairs and into his car. He quickly followed the directions Quinn had text him, and it wasn't till he was outside her front door that the nerves hit him. He lifted his hand to knock, but put it down again, taking a deep breath. It was then the door swung open to reveal someone you could only assume was Quinn's mother.

"Can I help you?" Sebastian felt Judy Fabray's eyes judge him, scrutinizing his outfit choice and the amount of gel in his hair.

"Hi, I'm Sebastian Smythe, I'm here to pick Quinn up" He held a hand out. Judy reluctantly took it.

"Oh. Hang on, I'll go get her" Judy took a few steps backwards towards the stairs, calling her daughter's name. Sebastian's breath caught in his throat as Quinn descended the stairs.

"You look beautiful" he smiled, his eyes roaming. Quinn blushed, pulling at the baby-blue dress and fiddling with her hair.

"Quinnie, you didn't tell me you were going out tonight" Judy hissed.

"I'll be home by 11 mom"

"But your father-"

"My father hasn't spoken to me in nearly a year, he can wait an extra couple of hours" Quinn spat back, determined for Sebastian not to hear her. "Bye" she waved, taking the arm Sebastian held out to her and heading towards his car. She blushed lightly as he opened the door for her, unable to subdue the grin plastered on her face. "So what are we doing tonight?"

"I figured we could go for dinner at Breadstix? If that's ok with you?" Sebastian felt his palms begin to sweat, but immediately shook it off. He's Sebastian Smythe, he doesn't get nervous, especially not over a girl.

"Of course" Quinn smiled, lightly biting down her rosy lip. Small talk easily filled the journey to Breadstix, they felt comfortable in each other's presence. Sebastian took her hand as they strolled into the most popular restaurant in Ohio, but felt her stiffen next to him. He followed her eyeline to see a group of high school students, probably the same age as them, enjoying a meal. Quinn cursed under her breath. She had forgotten it was the opening night of West Side Story and they'd all be out celebrating. She relaxed suddenly when Sebastian squeezed her hand.

"Do you wanna go somewhere else?" his minty breath tickled her ear.

"No, no. It's ok" she smiled, following the waiter towards a secluded table in the corner. They swiftly fell back into a conversation, laughing and joking.

"Hey Quinn" Quinn and Sebastian tore their eyes from each other momentarily to look up and find Finn Hudson glaring at them, skeptically.

"Sup MILF" Noah Puckerman nodded, leaning his arm on the table.

"Finn, Puck" she nodded, glaring at them to go away.

"Aren't you gonna introduce us to your friend?" Finn smiled, and Quinn could've killed him.

"Guys, this is Sebastian, he's a Warbler from Dalton. Seb, this is Finn and Puck from McKinley" she nervously bit her lip as they shook hands.

"It's really good to meet you guys, but if you don't mind this is kinda a date so…" Sebastian sensed Quinn's anger, and felt his own build up. He didn't know what their problem was, but he didn't like it.

"No, of course, we just wanted to see our old friend Quinn. I'm sure she'll tell us all about you, and our history, when we've gone" Finn smiled at Quinn, who glared back at him.

"Goodbye Finn. Puck."

"Ok come on puffy nipples, leave the Dalton kids to it" Santana pulled Finn away, offering Quinn a smile, but the damage had already been done.

"History?" Sebastian prompted. Oh shit.


	3. Damaged Goods

"Really Seb, it's nothing" Quinn persisted as she followed her date out of the restaurant. She felt no less than 10 pairs of eyes on them, but she didn't care, she wasn't throwing this, what she felt for Sebastian, away. Her past at McKinley- Finn was not ruining this for her.

"_History_ is not nothing. Clearly it's not nothing otherwise you wouldn't have reacted like you did!" he retaliated, turning to stare at her. He noted the way her eyes lit up in the moon-light, but immediately shook it off. Now was not the time to become a lovesick puppy.

"It's the past, it's over, and I just- I don't want to-" she struggled to defend herself. She could tell him. She could just tell him everything, but that would mean letting her guard down – and there's no way she's doing that again. Sebastian glanced over at the New Directions, who had stopped climbing into various cars to watch them. He strode quickly to stand closer to Quinn, and firmly grabbed her wrist, dropping his voice.

"Look, I like you, a lot, like, I don't think I've ever felt this way before, and I don't think I've ever been this honest before, and I want this to go somewhere. I don't want this to be a one-time thing; _this isn't just another hook-up for me…_" Sebastian continued talking but Quinn froze. Those words. They meant something to her, something twigged inside her, and she shook her head. She wasn't doing this to herself, not again. She wasn't letting a boy ruin everything she'd built up, not again. She forcefully pulled her arm from Sebastian's grip and began to breathe heavier.

"This was a mistake. You should go" Her eyes remained focused on the silver of the pavement, so she didn't notice the hurt look on Sebastian's face. He'd just poured his heart out, and she was telling him to leave. He didn't understand what he'd done wrong – and how was he supposed to? He took one step, and when she didn't protest, he continued on towards his car, leaving her there, letting himself be distracted by the pat of the rain on the windshield.

Quinn felt herself begin to shake. She wasn't sure if she was shivering or having a panic attack, but she didn't like it. She felt a pair of warm hands grab her shoulders, and turned with a start, to find the one boy who started this, the one boy whom she convinced herself she hated with everything she could muster, the one boy whom she had irrationally blamed for everything wrong in her life.

"You" she spat, immediately shaking his hands from her body. "This is all your fault. You ruined _everything_. Again!"

"Woah" Puck held his hands up in defense "I didn't want to ruin your date, Finn dragged me and-"Quinn was still shaking, and still studying the silver of the pavement when Blaine approached them.  
>"Puck… leave it" he whispered, before placing a gentle arm around Quinn and helping her into the car, turning the heating up in the hope that she'd stop shaking, although he had a horrible feeling she wasn't shivering.<p>

When Blaine finally pulled up outside the Fabray residence, Quinn had stopped shaking, and was now just staring at the floor absentmindedly, her hands subconsciously gripping at the leather seats. Blaine turned off the engine and studied his friend for a minute. It took her awhile to realize that they'd stopped. She looked up at Blaine, and all Blaine saw in her eyes was a plea, a cry for help. He took a deep breath before exiting the car and offering Quinn his hand. She took it, and squeezed it before following him towards her front door.

"Blaine you should go" she whispered quickly

"Let me just make sure you get in ok and then-".Blaine was cut off by the door opening, to reveal a very intimidating-looking Russell Fabray. Quinn shook her head and pushed Blaine back towards his car, before rushing into the house, slamming the door behind her. Blaine gingerly took a step back, reluctant to leave Quinn in her state, with **him**. But he had no choice. So he turned back to his car and dialed Sebastian's number, putting him on speakerphone as he began the drive home.

"Quinnie, where've you been sweetie?" Russell muttered, the stark contrast between his words and his tone astounding his daughter.

"Just out for dinner with a friend" Quinn replied, lightly rubbing her fingers along the edge of her eye, disposing of any smudged make up.

"You knew I was coming to see you tonight, haven't you missed me, darling?" Russell replied as Quinn sniffed back a sob.

"Of course I have daddy" she replied, her voice soft, before strolling into her father's embrace. She wasn't going to fight him tonight. She was going to smile sweetly, say all the right things, hug him, then make her excuses and go to bed. That's exactly what she did.

As she curled up in her comforter, she began to think about Sebastian, and tonight. Wow. She had mucked this up majorly. She had been irrational and over-reacted and she felt terrible about it. But maybe she'd been doing Seb a favour? He didn't want to go out with her. She was 'crazy'. Damaged goods. She had baggage. And no one, especially someone like Sebastian, wants to get mixed up in that. She yawned and began to drift off to sleep, her last thought being that it'd be better for everybody if she stayed lonely.


End file.
